Scapegoat

Chapter 32

Darko leaned against the right wall of the jail cell, both
his arms and ankles crossed. There was a calm and almost peaceful look on his
face. He was unaware of the snow slowly melting outside, but he had an internal
sense that everything was going to turn out for the better. He had hope. He
swore to himself he would never lose it again.

The third
time Cynnie visited him had been on Monday. He was happy to see her. He wanted
to relate to her all the changes that had occurred inside of himself. She
seemed different too. For starters, she was wearing a Brett Favre jersey.

“You’ve made
a decision,” he commented as she walked up to the jail cell. He nodded at her
shirt.

Cynnie
blinked and looked down. Then she nodded, smiling slightly. “I’ve been needing
to make a few of those in my life. I’ve decided that I want to stand by you and
fight for you no matter what.” She frowned and added hesitantly, “That is, if
you’ll let me.” She bit her lip nervously.

Darko felt a
flash of guilt. He should never have pushed her away like that. She only wanted
to help. He had been so absorbed in his own misery that he had failed to see
her needs. “I’m sorry for the way I’ve been acting, Cynnie. I should never have
treated you that way.”

Cynnie
smiled slightly. “It’s ok. I understand. You’ve been through a lot in your
life. I don’t know what it’s like to really suffer.” She paused. “But I think I
do now. We’re in this together.”

Darko dipped
his head in gratitude, feeling her compassion rolling over him like waves. It
felt wonderful to have someone care about him like this. “You don’t know how
much this means to me.”

“I think I’m
starting to,” Cynnie said softly. She had come as close as she could; her
fingers held onto the bars. She was gazing at him almost in serenity.

“I’ve
realized something since I’ve been here,” Darko said. “I know what I’ve been
doing wrong.” He hesitated. How was he supposed to explain this to her? She
smiled and nodded him on, so he took a deep breath and continued. “I haven’t
been trusting God enough. He’s in control, not me. I’m going to let Him lead me
wherever he wants me to go, whether it’s prison or home free. But I’m going to
fight. I know now that only God can give me the strength to overcome this
challenge. With Him, I will fight my hardest and then accept the results in the
end.”

Cynnie
seemed shocked by his assertion; she was looking at him in surprise. Then a
huge smile overcame her features. “Wow, Darko! Your faith is amazing! Anyone
else in your place would have given up.”

“I did,”
Darko said. “I just took the second chance given to me.”

“Well,
that’s great. I hope you’re right.”

“It’s all
I’ve got left to hold onto.”

“I’ll be
there to fight with you too,” Cynnie vowed. “We’ll find a way out of this.” She
paused, a curious look crossing her face. “Darko, there’s something I found out
about all of this that you should know.”

Darko
blinked in astonishment. “What?” He could hardly believe it. He knew Julia
hated him and refused to see him any differently, he did not think she would
actually do something to try to get rid of him. Then again, he should have seen
it coming. This was bound to happen at one of the cities he moved to. “What did
she do?”

Darko’s eyebrows
furrowed into deep frown lines as he listened to the story. He could vaguely
remember the girl. Cynnie was right; it had been nothing. He felt bad for the
child. She was being forced to view the event as traumatic. It wasn’t right.

“We’ve got
to tell someone!” Cynnie said when she had finished. There was pain in her
eyes. “I know you said no one will believe the truth, but there’s got to be
something we can do.” She seemed to be almost pleading with him.

“I think there is,” Darko said. A plan was forming in his mind. It might have been a long
shot, but he would have taken anything at that point. “I’ve got an idea.”

Cynnie
looked at him, seeming surprised. “Great. What is it?”

Instead of
answering her, he called to the officer. The policeman had a weary expression
on his face as he walked over to the cell. “What is it?” he asked almost
boredly.

“If I can
prove I’m innocent without a trial, will you let me go?”

The officer
frowned. “How do you propose to do that?”

“I’ll
address the town,” he said. “I know I’ve been framed. If I can get the person
to admit it, charges should be dropped, right?”

The officer
shrugged. “Theoretically, if you can get the victim to agree. But the state
could still choose to try the case.” He shook his head. “This is highly
unorthodox.”

“I know, but
I want to try,” Darko said firmly.

The officer
let out a heavy sigh. “Fine. Let me see what I can do.” Then he trudged back to
his desk.

Cynnie was
staring at him in wonder. “Wow. Do you really think this can work?”

Darko
shrugged. “I don’t know. But what choice do I have?”

That had
been Monday. Now it was Saturday. Everything had been arranged. It was only a
couple hours until it would happen. Darko could not deny that he was nervous.
This was not the last option available to him, of course, because he could
still find a lawyer and argue in court. And yet, he felt like this was his last
shot to gain everything he wanted. He was going to find out if he could really
belong in this city.

He took in a
deep breath and let it out slowly. He was ready.

The sun
shone down brightly on the city, melting the snow and leaving puddles of slush
on the pavement. The residents were still huddled in jackets and scarves. Many
people were gathered outside the jailhouse. Darko stood behind a podium that
had a microphone hooked up to it. His eyes were clear and bright. People in the
crowd murmured to each other. Darko knew they did not trust him. Still, they
had come, and that was enough.

He
recognized Cynnie and her family. He also spotted Fr. Luke and several of the
members of the Bible study he had attended. He pushed back the uneasiness he
felt. They had accepted him once; they just needed to know the truth. The
little girl was off to the side with her parents and police for protection.
Julia was near them, her arms crossed and a scowl on her face.

Darko tapped
the microphone. “Hello,” he said. “I’m Darko Stroud. Most of you probably know
me. I was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting Hailey Briggs.” He paused
to look around at the crowd. They seemed to have become angry and bitter, but
he remained poised and confident. He could do this. God was with him. “I can
assure you I did not do it. In fact, I don’t think there was a crime at all.”
He had to stop because people started shouting angry protests. He held in a
sigh as he waited for the commotion to die down so he could continue.

“Darko!” a
voice suddenly called out.

Darko was
surprised to see, pushing through the crowd, a determined Todd, one of his
friends. He watched him make his way to the podium.

Todd stood
beside Darko, facing the crowd with a hard look on his face. “I believe him!”
he declared. “I didn’t listen to him when I first met him, and that proved to
be a mistake. I will not do it again. I know he is a good person. Like everyone
else, his is innocent until proven guilty.”

Darko stared
at him in shock and wonder. He had not expected anyone to stand up for him. He
felt humbled. He closed his eye for a second and thanked God.

“I believe
him too,” said Jimmy, another friend. He came to stand up front as well.

John strode
up next, saying, “Of course I do as well.” He gave Darko an apologetic look.
“I’m sorry I doubted you.”

Darko merely
nodded. He watched in amazement as the rest of his friends came to stand beside
him, including Cynnie. He felt full of gratitude and happiness. He had gotten
through to them after all. They actually liked him. They accepted him. Suddenly, it did not seem to matter whether he was
convicted of the crime or not. Ever since the incident, he had not found what
he had there at the moment. It was almost too overwhelming.

“Thank you,”
Darko choked out. His eyes were blurred as he looked around at the crowd. He
wondered if he would be able to go through with this. He had noticed Cynnie had
left the front. He saw now that she was gently coaxing the girl Hailey and her
mother to come near him.

“It’s ok,”
Cynnie said softly. They stopped a few yards away from the podium. “He just
wants to ask you a few questions.”

“This is an
outrage,” the mother growled.

“Let’s see
what he has to say first,” the officer said.

Darko
studied the girl carefully. She did not seem like she had been sexually
molested. She was scared, sure, but what kid wouldn’t be with all this
attention and the accusations? “Hailey,” he said calmly, “do you remember
meeting me?”

The girl
hesitated. She looked behind her before glancing back at Darko and nodding.

Darko raised
his eyebrows, noticing that she had looked at Julia. This was not fair. Poor
girl. “It was at the mall, right?”

“Yes,” the
girl said timidly.

“No, it was
not,” Darko said firmly.

The girl
started. Her mother glared at him. “This proves nothing!”

“Do you
remember anything at all?” Darko asked.

“You helped
me and then-” The girl shook her head, refusing to go on. Tears welled in her
eyes.

“Don’t make
her cry!” Julia said as she walked up to stand near the girl.

“Julia, I
was hoping you would show up,” Darko said.

Julia glared
at him. “What?”

“Is it true
that you had this girl lie just so that I could get arrested?” Darko’s words
were harder now.

Julia gasped
in surprise. Everyone’s eyes were on her. No one stirred. “That’s crazy!” she
exclaimed. “Why would I do such a thing?”

“Hailey, did
Julia talk to you after the incident?” Cynnie calmly asked the girl.

Hailey
hesitated. Then she said quietly, “Yes. She said I had to report it.”

“Well, she
had to go to someone!” Julia said indignantly.

Cynnie
turned to her. “You manipulated her and you know it. Darko was only trying to
help her reach something from a shelf, right?” She turned back to the girl, who
nodded slowly. The crowd murmured.

“He
shouldn’t have even done that!” Julia exclaimed.

Darko shook
his head. “I suppose I should just ban myself from children, right? I’ve never
hurt a child in my life. My previous crime was against another adult. I let passion get the better of
me. Why would I want to do anything to a little girl? I’m not attracted to
kids.”

“That’s not
the point!” Julia said frantically, appearing panicked. “There has to be something
that can get you out of here!”

Darko
narrowed his eyes at her. “So you got a little girl to view something normal as
tragic? Sexual assault is a serious matter, Julia. It’s cruel to have someone
feel the effects of it if it did not really happen. I’m not the one who’s at
fault here.”

Julia gasped, eyes wide, and stumbled
back. “I- I didn’t-” Everyone was staring at her in shock. “I was just trying
to save the town! It would have happened for real eventually!”

Hailey started crying. Her mother
picked her up and shot her a look. “I can’t believe you,” she retorted. “We
trusted you.” She turned to her daughter and smoothed her hair back.

Julia wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry,”
she whimpered.

“You know this means he can press
charges against you for falsely accusing him of a crime,” the police officer
near her said.

Julia gasped and looked up at Darko
with terror in her eyes. “Please,” she said, barely audible. “I’m sorry.”

Darko’s first instinct was to do as
the officer said, but something held him back. He remembered God. Perhaps it
was best to consult with Him first. Darko closed his eyes. He could clearly
feel what he was being asked to do. He opened his eyes and focused them on
Julia. “It’s ok,” he said slowly yet deliberately. “I will not press any charges.
I forgive you.” Through all the times he wished he could have heard those words
said to him, it felt wonderful to say them himself. Was it true that forgiving
someone was more for your sake than the other person’s? Being on both sides of
the coin, he supposed it depended on the situation.

Julia stared at him with her mouth
open. “What?” It took her a minute for her to be able to say anything else. The
crowd seemed shocked as well. “You should hate me. I’ve done nothing but
torment you since you’ve got here. You should relish the chance to get back at
me.”

Darko stared at her calmly, feeling
peace overtake him. He knew he was making the right choice. That was all that
counted in the end. He would do right for its own sake, not for the approval or
forgiveness of others. “I know the power and destructiveness of hatred and
revenge. I’ve been on the receiving end of it all for years. After all I’ve
suffered, why would I want to cause anyone similar pain? I don’t want anyone to
ever have to go through anything that I’ve been through, even on a smaller
scale. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone deserves another chance. Hatred and
anger just push them farther away from where they need to be. Trying to protect
people and prevent crime is fine, but those who make mistakes are people too,
and they should be treated as such.”

Julia was staring at him with a mix
of shock and wonder. She wiped her eyes and sniffled. “I never thought about it
that way,” she mumbled. She glanced at Cynnie. “Maybe you were right the whole
time, Cyn. I’m sorry.” She looked back up at Darko and added sheepishly, “To
both of you.”

Darko nodded his head. “Thank you.”

Cynnie smiled brightly at her friend.
“It’s ok! I forgive you too.”

Julia glanced at her and hesitated.
“Thanks, but there’s something else I have decided.

“What is it?”

“I don’t think I can stay here in
Green Bay any longer.”

Cynnie’s smile fell. “Why not?”

Julia let out a heavy sigh. “Too much
has happened here. There are too many bad memories.” She glanced at Darko.
“It’s nothing personal; I just need to start over. Get away from all of this.”

“I understand exactly what you mean,”
Darko said.

“But I’ll miss you,” Cynnie said
sadly.

Julia stepped up and hugged her. She
said something Darko couldn’t here. When she pulled back, she addressed the
curious crowd: “I’m sorry everyone. I didn’t mean to cause so much trouble.
Goodbye.” Then she turned and ran off.

Everyone’s attention was back on
Darko. He knew he had to say something else. He cleared his throat. “Am I free
to go?” he asked, looking at the officer.

Darko looked around at the crowd, a
small smile on his face. “It’s ok,” he said into the microphone. I forgive
y’all.”

He was surprised at the cheers that
erupted. He looked at Cynnie in astonishment. She just smiled at him. Darko
felt happy and humbled. He bowed his head and stepped away from the podium.

The crowd began to break up as he
parted through it to reach Cynnie. He stopped a foot away from her, gazing at
her with contentment. “We did it,” he said in a soft voice.

Cynnie smiled. “You did it.”

Darko took her hands in his. “You
were the first one who believed in me. Because of that, it has infected the
whole city. I could never thank you enough.”

“You’re a wonderful person,” Cynnie
said. “They just had to be forced to see that.”

Darko felt full of compassion and
happiness. He felt driven to tell this girl how he felt. “I love you,” he said.

Cynnie’s eyebrows raised in surprise.
Then a look of pure joy overcame her face. “Oh, Darko! I love you too!” She
jumped on him, flinging her arms around his neck.

Darko laughed as he hugged her back.
He closed his eyes and took in her scent. He knew this was what he wanted
forever. When Cynnie pulled back to grin at him, he took his chance. He leaned
in and kissed her with confidence. She responded readily and kissed her back.

It was perfect. There was no lust or
temptation. Only passion and love. There were tears in Cynnie’s eyes when they
pulled back at the same time, and Darko could feel his own forming. “You know,”
he said once he was able to speak again, “this means I can never leave this
city.”

Cynnie laughed. “Do you want to?” She
smiled. “Maybe someone will tell your story, so that the rest of the country
can read it and be inspired to change. I think it’s time Green Bay was known
for something other than the Packers.”

Darko laughed. He put his arm around her and
turned to greet their friends

Other Collections

About Us:

Inkitt is the world’s first reader-powered book publisher, offering an online community for talented authors and book lovers. Write captivating stories, read enchanting novels, and we’ll publish the books you love the most based on crowd wisdom.